Nicosia

This profile of Nicosia, the capital of Cyprus, focuses on a crucial aspect of its historical growth and emerging planning responses: the issue of urban land. In Nicosia, as elsewhere, an understanding of land markets and the actors and agencies involved in development processes is indispensable for the management of urban change and the effective implementation of planning strategies for future growth. The provision of land which is affordable and available to urban dwellers has become a central issue, especially in the developing world. Accordingly, the relationship between planning policies and land issues, so long ignored by many planning systems, has become the new focus of current practice and research.